Process for the treatment of fruit for the prevention of decay



Patented Mar. 5, 1929,

UNITED, STATES BAIBGER, 0F PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THEGOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA..

WILLIAM It.

PATENT OFFICE;

PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT 0]? FRUIT FOR THE PREVENTION OF DECAY.

No Drawing.

Application filed November 14, 1927. Serial No. 233,302.

(GRANTED man rue ACT or Manon 3,1883.)

, This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, Chapter 143,(22 Stat. 625) and the invention herein described and claimed may beused by the Government of the United States or any of its officers oremployees in the prosecution of work for the Government, or any personin the United States, without payment to me of anyroyalty thereon.

This invention consists of a process of treating fruit, particularlycitrus fruit, to prevent decay caused by blue and green molds with asolution of cadmium sulphate, the chemical formula for which is 3CdSO 8HO in water at low concentration, a concentration of 1 part ,to 400 up to2 parts to 100by weight being preferred. The solution may be used eitheralone or in combination with cadmium chloride, the chemical formula ofwhich is CdCl 2H O in concentration of 1 part by weight to 400 parts ofwater or of the solution of cadmium sulphate to 2 parts by weight to 100parts of the solution of cadmium sulphate mentioned above. T

The solution of cadmium sulphate at concentrations of 1 part to 400 upto 2 parts to 100 has been found to be eificient in the control of bluemold decay caused by Penicillin/m. italiowm while a solution ofcadmiumchloride at concentrations of 1 part to'400 up to 2 parts to 100is eificient in controlling the decay of citrus fruit caused byPeniciZZiu m digitatum. The treatments can therefore well be combined bymixing the solutions and the treat-' ment to prevent decay caused byboth these fungi can then be made at one time. The concentrations ofcadmium chloride and, cadmium sulphate to be used depends somewhat uponthe vigor of the fruit and the character of the injury of the rind.Ordinarily a concentration of one-half per cent cadmium sulphate withone per cent cadmium chloride in the solution will give adequate controlof both blue and green mold decay.

The material as ordinarily procured may be put directly into the waterin the treating tank or may be dissolved separately in water beforeplacing in the tank. I do not desire to limit the temperature of thetreating solution to any set temperature as various temperatures from 60F. upward have proven efi'ective.

while over-ripe or old fruit may require as much as ten minutes torender the rind resistant to the fungi. The treatment above described isaccomplished by spraying, submergmg, immersing, or causing the fruit topass through a receptacle or tank containing the solution of cadmiumsulphate and cadmium chloride in such a manner that the entire surfaceof the fruit is wet with the solution. The apparatus described'byBarger, Huldll and Hawkins, in United States Patent No. 1,559,733 may beused for this purpose. The treating solution may be applied to the fruitimmediately prior to the time of washing, during the washing process, oras a treatment on clean fruit without the other washing. The fruit maybesprayed as it leaves the treating solution with water or a dilutesolution of the fungicide to remove excessive deposits of the saltswithout lessening the eflectiveness of the treatment.

' I claim r V A process of treating fresh fruits, especially citrusfruit, with a solution of cadmium sul-- phate in proportions of one partby weight to two hundred parts of water up to four parts by weight toone hundred parts of water in a.

'mixture ofv cadmium chloride in the proportions of one part by weightof cadmium chloride to two hundred parts of the solution of cadmiumsulphate up to four parts by weight of cadmium chloride to one hundredparts of: the solution of cadmium sulphate to prevent decay in suchfruits caused by Penioillimn digitatwm and Penicillium ital'iowm.

WILLIAM R. BARGER.

